Price sign



1933- R. SCHWARTZ El AL PRICE SIGN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1930 jwuentu Will Rudol am ma Lm mm m 1933- R." L. SCHWARTZ-El AL v 1 3 5 PRICE SIGN Filed April 18, 1930 2 She ets-Shet -2 27 I gm wanton, V v an @wiolph L. Schwartz, 9 wiummqml martin,

Patented Oct. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES PRICE SIGN Rudolph L. Schwartz and William Paul Martin, Buffalo, N. Y., assignorsto Martin & Schwartz,

Inc, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application April 18, 1930. Serial No. 445,426

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in signs of the changeable card holding type.

In our copending application, Serial No. 353,829 filed April 9, 1929, disclosing a-similar type of sign, the housing and sign holding means are shown as unitary. It has been found that this type of device, although suitable for installation where only the removability of the card is essential, does not meet the requirements or have the flexibility to take care of changes brought about by new conditions such as changes in number and size of cards and the like. The present invention aims chiefly to complement this type of sign by providing a sign with a permanent housing adapted to contain a removable card carrying frame, wherein, upon any change in the shape of the card contained by the frame, different frames may be inserted in the housing without change in shape of the housing. The frame contains a novel arrangement of card magazines which permits reversal of the frame so that either end of the frame may be inserted adjacent one end of the housing without affecting the lay-out of the display sign.

These and other features of the present invention are more specifically described in the following specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows the sign of the present invention applied to a gasoline pump.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the housing and frame with the cover removed.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the removable frame.

Fig. 5 is a partial longitudinal section through the housing adjacent the stile 3. r

Fig. 6 is a partial longitudinal section through the housing adjacent the stile 4.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the cover.

In the specification the numeral 1 indicates generally a housing which comprises a built-up frame-like structurehaving vertical stiles 3 and 4 of channel-like shape in cross section. The upper ends of the stiles contain arcuate notches 5 at their top extremities and are connected by the rails 6 and '7, while the lower ends are connected by the lower rails 10 and 11. As shown in Fig. 5, the stile 3 contains a slot 8 near its upper end and the stile 4 is provided with a stud 9 riveted to the back portion thereof. An enlarged aperture 12 thus formed centrally of the parts described comprises a display window as hereinafter described and the portion of the rails and stiles bordering such aperture are provided with inwardly extendingportions 13.

The lower portion of the housing thus formed receives a bottom member 14 having depending flange portions 15 which are welded to the lower rails with the base portion 16 thereof arranged immediately below the aperture 12. A channel member 17 is welded to the base portion 16 longitudinally and centrally thereof. Glass guides 18 are welded within the housing on the opposite legs of the stile immediately adjacent the aperture 12. I

A removable card carrier or frame 20 is slidably mounted within the said housing and in the present embodiment, comprises two vertical 79' channel-like guide members 21 spacedly connected at their extremities by the frame rails 22 and 23, the upper frame rail 22 being a strip of metal having bent ends welded to said guide members, and the lower frame rail 23 being a fabricated member of T-shape cross section having opposite extending lateral flanges 24 and having bent end portions 25 welded 'to said guide members 21;

The flange rails are utilized as mounting means for the magazines or card flanges 26 which are arranged thereon parallel to said guide members and comprise a base portion 26' welded to said frame rails 22 and 23 and an L-shape portion 26" connected thereto. The flanges are arranged in pairs, each pair being adapted to receive a group of cards and each pair of flanges being arranged adjacent other pairs with their vertical flanges abutting as shown in Fig. 4. It is preferred that the flanges on either side of the frame rail contain the same flange arrange.- ment and spacing in reverse order so that each side contains the same left to right reading on the cards contained therein. By this arrangement, the frame is rendered reversible and may be inserted in .the housing with either side form ing a certain window.

The guide members 21 are adapted to enter the housing 1 from the top thereof and to slidably contact with the inner walls of the stiles 3 and 4. Upon full insertion of the frame in the housing, the central portion of the frame including the frame rails and accompanying flanges are maintained in spaced relation on the outside of the housing and centrally thereof, with the flanges 24 of the lower frame rail 23 seating within the channel 17. The notches 5 are utilized as finger holes to facilitate removal of the frame from the housing.

Transparent window portions 27 are adapted to be mounted in said frame between the glass guides 18 and the rounded portions 13 of the stiles and to bottom on the base 16 of the bottom member 14 between the channel member 1'7 thereof and said rounded portions.

The open side of the housing may be closed against the elements in any suitable manner, such as by a cover 28 having a depending flange portion 29 adapted to be slidably received over the top of the housing. The depending flange portion at one end of said cover contains an inturned lip 30 adapted to enter into the slot 8- of the stile 3, while the other end of said depending portion contains an attached spring clip 31 containing a recess 32, said recess being adapted to receive the stud 9 of the stile 4. This type of cover offers easy removability as to remove the same, it is only necessary to raise the end of the spring clip 31 out of engagement with said stud and then swing the cover practically 30 with accompanying rearward thrust to disengage the lip 30 from the said slot.

The assembly thus formed may be mounted in any environment depending upon its use in any suitable manner. Fig. 1 discloses the price sign attached to a, gasoline pump. For such use, the stile 3 receives the attaching clips 31 which are welded to the sides of said stile and have extending longitudinal flanges 34 which may contain holes 35 or the like attachable to any suitable clamping means.

What is claimed is:

1. In a card displaying sign a rectilinear housing having an open edge, opposite side walls on said housing having enlarged apertures, transparent panes mounted in the housing and covering the apertures therein, a removable frame in the housing comprising a pair of spaced guide members each slidably engaging the inner walls of the housing at opposite ends, means connecting the guide members and extending parallel to the side walls through the medial portion of the housing, a plurality of spaced flanges mounted on each side of said connecting means in parallelism to said guide members, cards removably mounted between each pair of flanges onopposite sides of the frame and visible through the transparent panes in the housing, and flange means on the lower extremity of the frame for retaining the cards against downward displacement when the frame is removed from the housing through the open edge, said cards being individually removable from said frame through the open edge of the housing.

2. In a card displaying sign, a reci ilinear housing having an open top, opposite side walls on said housing having enlarged apertures, glass guides in said housing adjacent said apertures, transparent panes in said guides covering the apertures in said housing, a frame slidably mounted in said housing, said frame having a plurality of magazine portions on opposite sides thereof, cards in each of said magazine portions and visible through said panes on opposite sides of the housing, said frame and cards therein being removable from said housing as a unit through said open top, said cards being independently removable from said frame through the open top.

3. In a card displaying sign, a rectilinear housing having an open top, opposite side walls on said housing having enlarged apertures, glass guides in said housing adjacent said apertures, transparent panes in said guidescovering the apertures in said housing, a frame slidably mounted in said housing, said frame having a plurality of magazine portions on opposite sides thereof, cards in each of said magazine portions and visible through said panes on opposite sides of the housing, said panes, frame and included cards therein being independently removable from said housing through said open top, and said cards being independently removable from said frame through said open top, and a removable cover member sealing said open top.

4. In a card displaying sign, a rectilinear housing having an open top, side walls on the housing each having an enlarged aperture, a frame slidably mounted in said housing through the open top and extending parallel to said side walls, a plurality of parallel and irregularly spaced pairs of flange members mounted on one side of said frame, and pairs of parallel flanges on the opposite side of the frame, said last named pairs of flanges having the same relative order of spacing as said first named pairs of flanges with the order of spacing reversed relative one end of said frame, and cards between adjacent flanges on both sides of the frame and visible through the apertures in the housing.

5. In a card displaying sign, a rectilinear housing, side walls on the housing each having an enlarged aperture; a frame mounted in said housing and having a series of card receiving magazines of different widths on one face thereof in adjacent relation for removably mounting a series of cards of different widths in adjacent relation, and a series of similar card receiving magazines on the opposite face in reverse order relative the first series for removably mounting a similar series of cards in reverse of the order on the first named face relative a common end of the frame; said cards being visible through the apertures in the housing; whereby said frame may be inserted in said housing with either end adjacent a particular end of the housing without affecting the relative arrangement of the cards thereon viewed through the housing apertures.

6. In a price sign, a rectangular outer casing having spaced side walls each provided with a relatively large opening, the space between said side walls being closed at three edges of said casing and being open at the other edge, transparent panels supported within said casing to close the openings in the respective side walls thereof, means for holding said panels in engagement with said side walls, a separate inner frame supported between said panels and removable through the open edge of said casing, said inner frame having spaced side walls provided with openings in line with said panels, having an open top and having means for removably supporting price cards therein adjacent to but out of contact with said panels, and a removable closure for the open edge of said casing.

RUDOLPH L. SCHWARTZ. WILLIAM PAUL MAR'ITN. 

